Sony’s Alpha A7 III full-frame mirrorless camera is killin’ it in Japan
Canon and Nikon no competition against Sony’s popular shooter
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The latest camera sales data released byBCN, a Japanese retail research firm, has revealed thatSonyis Japan’s market leader when it comes to full-frame mirrorless cameras.
The report (first discovered byCanon News) from BCN compares retail sales of the top five selling full-frame mirrorless cameras in Japan and theSony Alpha A7 IIIemerges the clear winner.
The sales figures in this report are from March and early April 2019 and show that theCanon EOS RPhad a pretty good start when it first launched.
However, a month after its release, the EOS RP sales numbers plummeted, giving the Sony Alpha A7 III the opportunity to overtake. And in that time, the latter outsold not just the EOS RP, but theCanon EOS R, the newNikon Z7and its more affordableZ6sibling combined.
Steep descent
We foundCanon’s statistic to be a little surprising as, previously, the company’s mirrorless M-series snappers (like theEOS M50) have proven successful in their home country of Japan.
It’s also interesting that the EOS RP sales slumped so dramatically as it is a more affordable alternative to the Sony Alpha A7 III. However, in terms of specs, the A7 III outdoes the EOS RP.
BCN, though, suggests that it’s the lack of native lenses for the Canon R-series cameras that has led to the slump. Currently there are four native lenses available for the R-series shooters, withsix more arriving this year. Compared to that, Sony already has a huge ecosystem of native optics for its full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Given the infancy of the Canon and Nikon full-frame mirrorless ecosystem, it could just be a matter of time before Sony faces tougher competition.
While she’s happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta’s main priority is being TechRadar’s APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she’s also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she’s also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom’s Guide and T3.
Nikon reveals the Z50 II – a modest update of its hobbyist mirrorless camera with an identity crisis
The Nikon Z6 III is our best-rated camera of 2024 - and it just got its first price cut
MacBook Air OLED reportedly delayed until at least 2028 – here’s why
